{"id":81,"date":"2016-01-13T18:58:16","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T02:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shannonigans.com\/?p=81"},"modified":"2016-03-27T12:57:23","modified_gmt":"2016-03-27T19:57:23","slug":"engagement-vs-observation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannonigans.com\/?p=81","title":{"rendered":"Engagement vs. Observation"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 30, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

Time’s been going quickly- today is Wednesday, at least here, and Saturday I board the plane for the 20+ hour journey home.\u00a0 I’m definitely ready.\u00a0 As we’ve traveled south through the country, we’ve found a much\u00a0heavier Western influence\u00a0and the areas have become more touristy, almost freakishly so.\u00a0 We spent three days in Hoi An, a town known for its tailors and silk products.\u00a0 Three days was a bit much for most of us, but for those that wanted to have custom clothing made, it was necessary.\u00a0 One of the Australian guys is 6’6″ and took advantage of the suit-making opportunity, and most people found a few things to help stimulate the local economy.<\/p>\n

One of the other guys here (Chuck, who\u00a0happens to be\u00a0from\u00a0San Francisco)\u00a0is also a “travel with a purpose” sort of guy, although he’s done primarily\u00a0disaster relief work and also sustainable energy infrastructure\u00a0work in developing countries, so we’ve been comparing notes about this type of tour experience.\u00a0\u00a0We’re both\u00a0getting restless.\u00a0\u00a0Now, I’m not saying I miss mixing concrete in stifling heat, but…\u00a0 well… maybe\u00a0I sort of do.\u00a0 I don’t consider myself an extremely goal-oriented person, but the wandering and observing and buying and eating is losing my interest a bit.\u00a0 I don’t feel engaged with the country anymore, I feel like… gulp… a tourist.\u00a0 An observer.\u00a0 In the worst cases, a voyeur.\u00a0 The other people in our group have made similar comments, so we think it might be because the towns have become more and more tourist-centric, so finding a more authentic experience is much harder.<\/p>\n

We’re now in Nha Trang, which everyone agrees is our least favorite destination so far.\u00a0 The city is kind of seedy and there are loads of Westerners wandering around, which means there are loads of women hocking wallets and cigarettes and sunglasses and postcards.\u00a0 They’re quite forward and have all learned the same phrases to spout off (“Hey lady, you buy wallet?\u00a0 Very cheap for you.\u00a0 Happy hour.\u00a0 You very beautiful.\u00a0 Buy one get one free.”).<\/div>\n

A few choice signs we’ve seen:<\/p>\n

Bike Tours!\u00a0 Funny Time on Wheels!<\/div>\n
Happy Hour 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
Com See Out Roof Top Bar<\/div>\n
Cheap Foods, No Rip Offs<\/div>\n
Free Mojito and French Fries for Lady<\/div>\n

We took a motorbike tour of the countryside in Hue, which included a visit to a woman who makes Poem Hats.\u00a0 They look like the traditional conical hats that\u00a0a lot of people still wear, but in between the layers of dried leaves she puts a layer of newspaper into which she’s cut some\u00a0images and a silhouette of a couple holding hands\u00a0and a short poem.\u00a0 When the sun shines\u00a0on the hat, you can see the pictures and read the poem.\u00a0 I thought it sounded like a lovely idea- a hat with a hidden poem in it!\u00a0 I asked my motorbike guy Cat what the poem translated to, and he said, “When you visit the romantic city of Hue, you should buy a poem hat for every person in your family.”\u00a0 I felt like Ralphie when he finally got his Little Orphan Annie Decoder Pin and got a message about Ovaltine.\u00a0 “A crummy COMMERCIAL??”<\/p>\n

I didn’t buy a poem hat.<\/p>\n

A few photos attached- the first is a Royal Tomb, or the ruins of what used to be a Royal Tomb.\u00a0 The second is from Bunker Hill, an area used by the Americans to stockpile weapons (I think… our guide’s English was a little baffling to me), and the third was at a pagoda.\u00a0 The red spirals are long trails of incense with a wish hanging in the middle, and as the incense burns, the smoke carries the wish up to the Heavens.\u00a0 Each coil takes about a month to burn, so you get a month of wishing for one low, low price.<\/p>\n

Looking forward to being back.<\/p>\n

\"Somewhere <\/a>
Somewhere there’s a GIANT mouse that needs to be wiggled. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"7\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"22\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"23\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"32\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"35\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"39\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My favorite meal: pork-stuffed squid. I’ve not seen it in any restaurant in the US, which makes me sad. It was fantastic. <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fish <\/a>
Fish market <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"56\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"57\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"28\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"DJ <\/a>
DJ Delicious must know what he’s talking about, right? <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n
\n

Back to Vietnam 2010<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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